If you’re going to dabble in the indie rock scene, modeling yourself after The Hold Steady is a pretty solid game plan. The cleverly named The 1984 Draft seems to have done just that, from the jagged guitar licks in the wall of sound to the emphatic vocals, they seem to tip their cap to the Craig Finn led rockers across the board.

The straight forward rock approach is refreshing here, on songs like “Lately” and “Jan Kawolski” you get guitar riffs on top of a rhythm section with clear vocals on top of the mix, it’s a simple formula that is time tested and proven. On “Honest” the band pounds out a hooky anthem after a brooding start that builds to the songs peak. The toe-tapping opening bassline on “Megaphone” is a great draw in to when the thunderous guitars kick in. The literate lyrics always accent the rowdy songs and the snide vocal style of lead singer Joe Anderl fits perfectly with the songs. The song structures aren’t far off from the Replacements as the guitar licks are always leading to a vocal hook like on some of the catchiest songs here like “Morrissey of Mandys” and “Miss Ohio.”

The Replacements led to tons of bands forming like The Hold Steady and that band has inspired a new generation that sounds like it could well include The 1984 Draft and upon listening to this record you’ll realize there is absolutely nothing wrong with that.